A number of different types of shopping carts are available for customer use at various retail businesses including grocery stores, home improvement warehouses and others. Such carts are wheeled and are typically made from a number of spaced apart substantially vertical and horizontal metallic bars welded together at points of intersection in a basket or grill-like construction.
For convenience, most such carts also include an area in which young children, such as infants or toddlers, may be seated. Such seating areas generally include front and back sections, each having a number of substantially vertical bars whose upper ends are connected to at least one horizontal bar running the width of the seating area. The substantially vertical bars of the front sections of such seating areas are spaced apart sufficiently to provide leg openings.
The metallic material of the bars of such seating areas may be coated or supplemented with a hard plastic material. The metallic material of the substantially vertical bars of the back sections of such seating areas, against which a child may recline, may also be covered by a rigid plastic sheet. A restraining belt may also be provided.
As a result of their construction, however, such seating areas are typically uncomfortable, especially if a child must remain seated for any extended period of time. Moreover, even if a restraining belt is provided, the construction of such seating areas can also pose a risk for injury. More particularly, a child's face, chest, arms, legs, back, neck and/or head can be cut, bruised or otherwise injured by the metallic or hard plastic materials of such seating areas. If not regularly washed, such seating areas can also be dirty.
In light of these problems, a number of child seats have been developed for use in such seating areas in order to increase a child's comfort and safety. One such seat is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,666,207 issued to Quartano ("the Quartano '207 patent"). The child seat of the Quartano '207 patent includes cushioned chest protector and seat-back portions interconnected by a narrower groin-leg protector portion, thereby creating spaces for a child's legs. The chest protector and seat-back portions are secured to the front and back sections of the seating area, respectively, by straps that cooperate with Velcro fasteners on the upper surfaces of the chest protector and seat-back portions.
Significantly, however, the straps for securing the child seat of the Quartano '207 patent in the seating area of a cart are fastened in locations that are accessible to a child placed in the seat. This creates the possibility that a child will unfasten one or more of the straps, leaving the seat at least partially unsecured.
Moreover, when secured, the seat-back portion fails to cover the horizontal bar of the back section of the seating area. Depending upon the length of the seating area, the chest protector portion may also fail to cover the horizontal bar of the front section of the seating area. In either case, a child placed in the seating area is still subject to discomfort and possible injury, as previously described.
Still further, although the child seat of the Quartano '207 patent includes a belt for restraining a child's lateral movement, it lacks any type of restraint for preventing a child from sliding forward in the seating area. While the groin-leg protector portion of the seat would ultimately stop such movement, it would not do so until a considerable amount of such movement had already occurred. This can be a particular problem with infants that have not yet completely mastered the ability to sit upright.
Finally, the horizontally segmented construction of the seat-back and chest protector portions of the child seat of the Quartano '207 patent also creates a problem. Such construction is primarily used to prevent the movement of padding inside the seat-back and chest protector portions. However, such construction restricts the ability of the chest protector portion to be folded or wrapped about a horizontal bar of the front section of a child seating area. That is, given the length of the seating area, unless the horizontal bar coincides with a junction between horizontally segmented sections of the chest protector portion, it is difficult or impossible to fold or wrap the chest protector portion around the horizontal bar and properly cover the child seating area.
Other examples of similar child seats include those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,354,121 issued to Allum; 5,330,250 issued to Reyes; 5,238,293 issued to Gibson; 4,867,464 issued to Cook; 4,655,502 issued to Houllis; 4,568,125 issued to Sckolnik; and 4,324,430 issued to Dimas, Jr. et al. Each of these child seats suffer from at least some of the problems discussed above. Indeed, in many cases, such child seats suffer from additional problems including the inability to adapt to seating areas of different lengths and widths, as well as a lack of flexibility for easy storage and portability.
As a result, a need exists for an improved child seat for use in carts having child seating areas therein. Such a child seat would be adaptable so that the front and back sections of seating areas of various lengths and widths may be adequately covered and cushioned for a child's comfort and safety. Such a seat would also provide restraints to prevent both lateral and forward movement of a child in the seating area. Such a seat would also ideally be flexible for easy storage and portability.